Born Of Darkness
by ska-almighty
Summary: Rikuxkairi,kairixsora,rikuxoc, spoilers. R&R! After getting King Mickey's message, Sora and Riku find themselves on a new adventure to return a girl to her home. But when Heartless turn up on every corner, they start to wonder if this girl is coincidence
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH sadly...oh well**

_ Hi, welcome to the new story! Yes, there are spoilers in this story and yes there is a neew character but I'm keeping everything as close to post kh2 as I can to make this story rock hard. I really hope you'll enjoy it and laugh with the sinners and cry with the saints and gawk at the strange events that occur throughout the story. I think that's all I've got to say for now. Later kids! Ska chan._

**Thoughts On The Future**

I'm going to share my story with you now. To each chapter I add, there is a meaning. There's a reason I'm telling you all of it. I can't forget. I can never forget. If I did...well, you'll see soon enough. I remember the day it started. Everything started with a fight. See, I was screaming at my dad. Yelling, ranting, shouting, you know, fighting and I cracked. That's how it started. That's how it'll end too. Just not with my father. No, instead of my father, it'll be the strange entity that brought me here. I'll fight the darkness with everything I've got to get to that fight. But when the time comes for the final battle between the light and the dark, to be honest, I don't know which side I'll be on. Will I be fighting alongside the friends I've made here or will I use this blade against them and teach them the real meaning of darkness and terror? There's really no telling. It could simply depend on if I bleed too much or if I'm just weak. I really don't know. The darkness scares me to death. I scare me to death. How will this end? Will I win? Lose? Will we get there and I just magically warp home? Who knows the future? Who knows what's gonna happen to me? To Sora? To Riku, who is part of me? Will he share my fate whatever it will be or will our paths fork apart? Is he going to be pulled into darkness again to save his friends or because of me? Will he remain Riku and go unchanged? I wish I knew our fate. I wish I never got in that fight. None of this would have happened if I had just kept my tongue...

-Yuki


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH but damn if I don't love the games.**

_Uh...I have nothing to say right now... go read!_

**Chapter One**

"Why do you wear that thing on your neck all the time? Is it a holy charm?"

"What? My cross?"

"Yeah I guess."

"It's not holy. Just means I'm saved."

"Saved?"

"Believe in God?"

"What's God do?"

"Protects me and keeps me safe."

"So... your cross is a protect charm."

"No. It's not a charm or anything. Just a symbol of my religion."

"Your religion? Man, your world is weird. Symbols of gods that don't do anything and you worship them anyway, no one wears clothes. What's up with you guys?"

"Who says we don't wear clothes? That's ridiculous. And God does all kinds of things. He create- Wait- no one here knows about God? Riku, what god do you follow?" He looked down, his ocean eyes blank. "There's no religion here? Oh my God, that's the weirdest thing I think I've ever heard. Every one has a religion." He looked back up at me. An air of annoyance shrouded his face. It's been like this the entire week I've been here. I sighed. "Maybe religion isn't for us right now." Riku adjusted his belt. "Ugh. Will you stop it? You have to be Mr. Know-it-all all the time but whenever my world has something you don't understand, which seems to be everything about my world, you get all pissy and annoyed. If you don't want to know, you shouldn't ask."

"Later Yuki," Riku said, leaving me in the sand. The moment he was out of sight, a burst of frustration escaped me. I ran my hands over my face and took a deep breath. _Calm down. It's nothing to get so upset over. It's stupid, just forget it. _Since I came here, this is just how it's been. Kairi's nice, and Sora's well, upbeat to say the least. The others frighten me to no end, they're all life size Disney characters. You wouldn't think Disney was terrifying but apparently it is when it's real and not some guy in a big plushy suit. The people here, they all seem familiar, like I've seen them all on t.v. or something. I don't know. It's weird. My butt hit the ground. Kairi waved her arms as she came down the beach. We smiled to each other as she sat down beside me. "Hi."

Kairi kept smiling sweetly as my smile slipped away. "Aw what's wrong Yuki?" she cooed. I shook my head slowly. "Oh come on, you can tell me. Who'm I gonna gossip to? Donald?"

"You could tell that pantless duck anything you want. No one can understand him."

Kairi giggled, "It is a little weird he only wears a shirt."

"Hell yes it's weird!" I said loudly. Kairi giggled again.

"So you gonna tell me or not?"

"I...he...he just gets to me sometimes," I said. "I don't know what to do about any of this and he isn't helping. But I guess it isn't helping that I'm pouting in the sand, huh?" I sighed.

"Yeah not really." Kairi's face lit up suddenly, a grin stretching from ear to ear. I jumped at her sudden perkiness. "I almost forgot!" she proclaimed. She pulled a bracelet from her wrist, snatching up mine and re-latching it quickly. "I want you to have this. I wasn't sure if you were able to use magic or not coming from Earth and all, so I thought this could help you." I held my wrist to the sun light. A small charm shaped like a fireball dangled off a chunky silver chain. Kairi explained, " It's a charm that allows you to cast fire."

"Cast fire?" Kairi blinked back as if confused as to why I would ask such a dumb question. I smiled, feeling idiotic. _Maybe this is why I can't get along with Riku. Maybe he feels this stupid talking to me. _After a second, I shook my head deciding I was just being really idiotic. "Okay. Thanks, it might come in handy some time."

"It's no problem. Since the worlds are safe and everything's back to normal, I don't really need it any more. The islands are pretty peaceful, you know?" She paused. "Well maybe you don't. But you will soon enough! I'll show you around if we have time, okay?" I nodded, feeling a smile creep up on me. Sora's voice drifted down the sand to us, calling us back to Kairi's house. She lives by herself so at the time it was our base of operations. She took my hand, pulling me up with her. I dusted off my borrowed clothes before running back to the house.Before I met the fairies, I wore a spare button down of Kairi's over a pair of capris from my world. I'll explain that later. I moved my braids back to the front as we stepped up to the door. Out of no where Kairi whispered my name. I looked up. Kairi's hand was on the door handle. Her face had become strangely serious, her eyes looked blankly at the dull metal. Slowly, she said, "Don't worry about Riku. He's been through a lot and he doesn't always see what you want him to. Just...leave him be." She glanced over, flashing a smile. "Okay?"

"Uh yeah. Okay."

Kairi nodded. She pulled open the door, ushered me through. We found a space in the group. It, like so many others things about this world, was freaky. Feeling your skin mix and brush against feathers and fur of animals that stand as tall as a person just freaks me the hell out. I could feel myself shudder looking up at the six foot shinigami of a dog in corduroy. He doesn't fool me. I know he really eats babies and apples alike. The leader of our lovely little group stood before us and get this, was none other than, you guessed it, Mr. Mickey Mouse himself. He's the only one that doesn't scare me crapless. I guess it's because he's the one who found me on his ship and I grew up with him, kinda. He was just leaving the islands when I popped up in the stock room in basically nothing. That was a shocker. Obviously he turned around. But now he stood there and looked us over before saying anything. He was pretty regal for a giant mouse if I remember this all correctly. He had said, "Alright every one, settle down. The gummi ship will be landing bright and early tomorrow morning so we haven't got much time for everything. We'll need to have everything repacked and ready to go by then. Goofy, Donald, I'm asking you to stay here with Kairi until we return from Hollow Bastion and Master Yen Sid's. I'm sorry to make you wait longer to be home." The two stood erect, saluting their king. He nodded to them. I felt like a suck. Kairi stared at him, absolutely stunned. "Sora, Riku, I know it's going to be hard leaving your homes so soon but there's still work to be done. We've got to check the other worlds and return Yuki to her home. Yuki, you'll be traveling with us so I would like you to spend some time with Donald and Sora to train. The best thing for you is to learn to defend yourself should something happen." I nodded, carefully hiding my fears inside. I looked from duck to boy with a small smile. Sora's cheeks went red. "I don't know what enemies we might find or there are others like Yuki out there but there's only one way to find out. Thanks for the cooperation every one. You're all dismissed."

The group spread out, Sora and Riku shrugged at each other and Riku stepped out with Goofy. Kairi smiled to Sora, making his cheeks burn, as she pulled Mickey to the side. Sora shook his head before leaving. I just stood there looking around for a few minutes before raiding the kitchen. It was actually a long time before anything happened so I'm going to skip the well known process of making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But it so happens that while I was enjoying my pb and j I had found myself suddenly lacking the will to eat it. I think any one would when there is a huge gloved sausage of a finger poking your shoulder and you turn to find it belongs to a god of death pathetically pretending to be a walking talking dog. I swear he will eat your children if you aren't careful. I tried to smile. He grinned freakishly back at me, saying, "Heeyuc, hiya Yuki. Sora asked me ta get you. Says he's waitin' ta teach ya somethin'."

I nodded slowly, cautiously moving around him with my sandwich. Shaking out the chills, I pushed my sneakers on and headed out. Sora was waiting out beyond the cove with Riku. Silver and black threads filled the air around them as they blurred together. I had to squint to even try to recognize them. The threads glittered and flashed in the afternoon light, followed by shouts of victory and frustration. A particularly pained cry hit my ears and I began running. Another cry escaped Sora and I yelled his name. He looked at me and all I could see was the 'Oh crap' expression on his face. He yelped and I yelped right after as his spiky head landed beside my shoe. "Oh my God! Are you okay?"

Sora rose a strangely warping wooden sword weakly. The silver turned wood tip barely made it above his body. I dropped to my knees beside him and looked up. Riku smirked down on us. He walked over, dropping a second wooden sword, which acted as a chameleon turning black to wood also, in the sand and kicking Sora's sneaker. "He's fine. Just gets distracted by every pretty face that comes along. Gotta keep your eye on the target, Sora. You don't want to eat dirt forever, do you?" He reached his hand down and Sora took it. You could see the red of embarrassment peeking through the thick layer of sand. Riku laughed. "Don't worry about it. It was just a fake fight anyway."

"Easy for you to say," Sora coughed, wiping the sand away. "You always win."

"Not all the time," he replied quietly. Riku's face turned very serious and I decided I was on an island full of almost happy emo kids. I looked at him and he smiled back over at me. "When you can beat him, come see me okay?" I nodded. Riku stretched and swung his arms as if their fight was nothing and walked away.

"Is it just me, or does that kid have some serious ego problems? 'When you can beat him, come see me.' What a load of crap. Who does he think he is anywa...Uh..." Sora looked at me with the same look Kairi had given me earlier. Looking at me as if I were mentally retarded. Great, isn't it? I scratched my head as I tried to get the taste of my sneaker out of my mouth. "I mean...he's...I don't know. It just seems to me he thinks a little too highly of himself, that's all." Sora just looked away now. I was not making the smooth transaction on foot removal I had hoped for. I looked around, trying to find a new subject.

"We don't have a lot of space for training on the ship so we should get as much as we can in today," Sora said.

I nodded, thankful for the change. "Right! Forgot all about it. Sorry. How should we start?" Sora smiled like a parent does to a child. Holding out an open palm, a beam of light shot from it, taking the form of key the size of his arm. I blinked from the key to Sora for at least a good thirty seconds. "How...How did you just do that?" I asked. I ran my hand along it, feeling the cold metal beneath my fingers.

"It's called a key blade," Sora replied with a smile. "It's hard to explain all the things it does and to be honest, it's a lot more fun to just find out on your own. But why I got it out is to show you how to summon it." I looked at him, pointing at my chest in confusion. He shook his head and hand, making the large key disappear. "Do this." He threw out his hand again, light streaming from it. "See?" I swung like an idiot, hoping I could do it too and wouldn't look too stupid trying. "Try again." I threw my arm out a little harder. Nothing happened. My ears began burning. "Are you really trying?"

"No Sora, I'm just flailing my arm around for the hell of it. You have no idea how fun it is!"

He sighed. "Here." He stepped in behind me, sliding his hand down my arm to reach my limp hand. His belt buckle pressed into my back and I held back a wave of goosebumps. Softly he said, "Like this," and took my hand. Sora gently lifted our hands above my shoulder. As they glided back down he said "Now want it." His key blade came without a thought. Mine came with a scream. He says my eyes were the size of saucers as it happened. My arm pulsed and I looked up at him in terror. "Yuki?" he squeaked. I watched lines rise up and run down my arm to my outstretched hand. I cried and screamed as my palm split open, sinew and bone spiking out from it. Sora basically screamed with me. "Yuki! Some one help! Help!"

That's about when I started passing out from blood loss and pain. My vision was dimming, my eyes flickering shut as I whimpered to Sora. The bone kept coming, spewing out of my hand, branching off and twisting as it came. A last line of bumps pumped their way down my arm, looking much more menacing than the rest. I grabbed my arm below the bumps in an attempt to stop them but that just felt freaky and gross as they passed under my grip. They pushed through, growing as they neared the exit. When they finally arrived, blood exploded on every inch it could cover in a spectacular splatter. Among the fireworks of blood and blood clots I could see a new spike spew forth, large and curved, opening more skin at the beginning of my wrist. I only know where it came from because even though I could no longer see anything from pain after the blood works there's a very evil looking scar left from the tip on my monstrosity. Supposedly it wiggled its way to the end of my whatever it was. I couldn't feel anything. Couldn't even see anymore. Utterly terrifying. Sora screamed for help and I whispered questions of death and what the hell was sticking out of me. I remember hearing him. It's all I could do. Hear his screams and the strange crunching of the exposed bones.

"Yuki, it's okay. Just hang in there. I don't know...what is that...It's gonna be okay Yuki." He was wiping his face as he watched bone spiral past my fingers. By then I was completely out and this is all what he had told me. It continued to twist and contort itself until the shaft was almost straight. The last foot of the mess has a line of, I don't know, six inch spikes shot most of the way through and that curved bit that needed an entrance of its own placed itself at the tip and runs through the other spikes in a long arch. It was still sorting itself out when help came. Sora looked down at it, whispering, "I think...I think it's a key blade." The others raced down to see the mess. "Hold on Yuki. Just a little longer." I didn't move. Sora dropped to his knees as my breath depleted. "Yuki? Come on Yuki. Talk to me. Yuki!" His fingers pressed against the pulse that wasn't there, felt for the breath that wasn't coming. I was officially dead.

_So there you have it! The first chapter of many in my newest story! I'm working a few others but this one will be updated regularly for at least the fist ten chapters. I'm really interested in writing this so don't think I'm gonna slack off! Leave me some comments and show the love! Ska chan._


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I'm claiming only my kh save files and rights to this story. That's all.**

_So I left you with blood and gore. Pretty huh? I'm worried though. No one's said a word and I'm not sure if it's cause no one's reading kh fics lately or just cause I suck. But I would expect you to say I suck if I did. Maybe I should just blame Mondays? ska chan._

**Chapter Two **

"What is it?" Kairi whispered. Her fist stayed close to her chest she studied the drying blood on the blade. She jumped back. I'm going to tell you all of this exactly how it was told to me. I told you I was dead last time. Well, I thought I was. I was drifting with a few drops of blood still in me in a world full of...something. Riku told me everything when he found me. Anyway Kairi was checking out my pretty bone something when she squeals, "It moved!" Sora looked up at her like she was insane. "I swear! I just saw it, I don't know, pulse or something!"

"Well, if it's a key blade, it should disappear eventually if it isn't being used. Maybe that's what it's doing." Kairi's door opened and Riku slipped in. The door barely clicked as he shut it. Kairi smiled to him, stepping away from the suto key blade. He looked past her to the dresser where it sat, oozing its unholy aura all over the wood. Sora had said, "We think it's a key blade. It has the same shape and all, kinda. Kairi thinks it moved."

"It did move!" she snapped. Rolling her eyes, she said, "I was just looking at it and one of those gross puddles like, well, it lurched and got sucked into the bone." It all seemed very strange to Riku as he looked from her to the key blade. She yelled, "I'm serious!"

"I've seen and heard about a lot of things but nothing like this," Riku commented. He stood by Kairi and poked at it. "Has it done anything else?" Kairi shook her head. He poked it again. When nothing happened, he carefully lifted it. "Huh. It's seriously heavier than a key blade. But it looks like-" That's when Riku says it crunched at the tip and he dropped it, letting it clatter back onto the wood. "Key blades don't crunch." The others nodded. He looked at them. "How did she get this?"

Sora whispered, "I don't know. She couldn't get her key blade to come when we were outside. You saw it before, just like I did. She had one when she came here."

"Maybe it wasn't hers," Kairi said thoughtfully.

Riku sighed. "Well first of all, you should have been using the wooden swords just so she knew what she was doing. Key blades aren't useful if you don't know how to wield one." Sora looked away. "And second, she did have one. Key blades only stay in the hands of the one it chooses. Hers didn't look like this though. It was plain metal not...bone."

"Yeah, you're right. Anyway, I took her arm and we swung. Mine came out just like it always does and then she screamed and that thing started coming out of her hand." He pointed to the bone mass. "That's it. Then you guys came and now we're here. Do you think she'll be okay?"

"No way of knowing but at least she's alive," Riku replied. He sat beside the bed in the small space between the dresser and mattress. "It's been a long day. Why don't you two eat something and get some rest. I can watch her for a while. It's not like I'm doing anything anyway."

Kairi stepped closer to him. She asked, "Are you sure? It's been a long day for you too, Riku." He smiled up at her and she giggled like she always does. He pointed to the door. "Okay stay here if you want to. One of us will switch places with you when you get bored or tired." Riku nodded as they walked out. "Don't go falling asleep, Riku!"

"I won't," he yelled back. The door shut and Riku got back on his feet. I could feel him moving my arms. Even though I was mostly dead or unconscious or whatever I was, I could feel my body but I wasn't there. I was somewhere else. I'll explain later. Riku doesn't know I know about this. He didn't tell me but for the most part, I knew what he was hiding. I felt him move my arms off of my stomach, turning each one gently, I could even feel old blood seeping through my bandaged hand to trickle down my elbow. He told me I was covered in my own carnage, which would make his search for clues impossible. He picked up my head, moving my sticky hair from my neck and I could feel his sigh on my cheek. He dropped my head back on the pillow. He said something, his breath warm on my skin. His fingers ran down my neck and into my blouse. They stopped under my little cross and he brushed my braid away. He admitted that he laughed at my cross for its lack of protection. I don't think he'll ever understand. His fingers spread across wide and he pushed down on them. I could feel something moving inside of me as he did this. Where I was, in this dark hell my mind had wandered off to, light suddenly exploded from my chest. Everything there finally saw me. Tried to take hold of me. He pushed harder, the light got brighter.

That's when I woke up. I gasped for breath. Riku stared at me. My body lurched and the bone on the dresser clattered to the floor. My eyes slammed open and Riku jumped from my 'shocking stare.' I grabbed hold of his molesting hand, gasping "Help me." He yelled for Sora as my body arched beneath his hand. It felt like my body was being crunched up like used paper. My brain split and my intestines ripped from my body through the stumps where my toes once gave me extra balance before they were pulled off with pliers. And I do mean that in a very liberal sense. It hurt. So bad. Riku kept yelling for Sora until the door finally burst open. Sora didn't move. He gawked with his mouth gaping instead as he saw small lights pop and crack a few feet from us. They drew closer to us, the crackling getting louder. Riku tried to pull away. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. My lips moved, I know they did, but nothing came. The lights cracked louder, growing and exploding into burning embers around us. That's about when Riku changed tactics. He jumped onto the bed, covering my body, his hand still on my chest. Sora shouted for him. Riku shut his eyes, letting darkness enshroud him.

Sora's shout echoed in his ears. He shook his head before looking around. He sat beside me on the edge of a dark beach, the choppy waters rushing up to meet us but never touching. Strange rocks and dead branches littered the ground behind into an endless background of creepy. The pain had left almost immediately, leaving my brain to continue functioning normally. There's no smell on that beach, no salty wind, not even the smell of the sand you sit on. Just a harsh wind that tears at your very soul. Riku whispered, "Where am I?"

I smirked. "I've been asking myself that for hours."

He jumped and looked the other way. "Yuki?" He strained to see the me that wasn't there. I tapped his shoulder and he turned slowly. He took in the fact that my hair was loose and I wasn't covered in blood with the same astonishment I had. I was surprisingly clean considering how I looked on that bed. Our hair whipped around us in that cold wind. I pushed mine back to see him and smiled. "How did we get here? What just happened?"

I shrugged, looking back out to the black sea. For a while I sat there and stared at its frothy waves and thought. Strangely enough, that beach is a great place for thinking and thinking was exactly what I did. I thought about everything, even that I hadn't really thought about anything since I had been here. I just let things go the way they were going and didn't even bother to really question it. Not how I got here, not how I was getting back home. If I even wanted to go back home. That was a decided no. But I did want answers and I did want to learn about why all of this was happening now. Right before finals. I get the feeling I probably failed finals. Damn. One thing led to another in my head and I thought and thought and finally came to at least one conclusion. "I think," I said slowly, "it was you."

"What? I didn't bring us here. I moved us but this is not the place I had in mind."

"You moved us? What do you-"

"Never mind," he said quickly. "What makes you think I did it? Did you see what was going on in Kairi's room? That wasn't me."

"Look, all I know is that this is not the place I was before and I have been in that place forever now and I only got here when you did so the logical thing is that you did it," I said. He huffed. I don't like Riku. He's always, well, huffy. "It's not that I'm blaming you or anything. I mean, I'm pretty damn grateful. This is way better than where I was." He looked at me and for once, he seemed interested. I was more than happy to tell him about that hell. "Before you showed up it was creepy as hell okay? I mean, this is creepy but that place was down right freaky creepy nightmare stuff. I was just sitting in this black pit and there were all of these things around just...crawling...writhing in the darkness around me and they were packed in there. I mean like a can of sardines packed. These things, these shapeless-things- they were everywhere! I just sat there with them and they-"

I squeaked when Riku grabbed my arm. "Did they attack you?" I blinked at him. "Yuki, did they attack you?"

I shook my head. "No it wasn't like that. It was more I was looking at them through a double sided mirror. I just sat and watched them move and try to break free from each other. But the way they carried on; it was like they didn't even realize I was there. I felt like I was completely alone even though I couldn't even move from being packed in there. They had no idea about me. Not until..." I laughed at myself. Riku looked at me, waiting. "Well...my chest exploded with this light and they started jumping at me. I was totally smothered and then I was back in Kairi's room. Doesn't make any sense right?" Riku nodded slowly. "Weirdest dream of my life," I said.

"That doesn't make sense. You shouldn't have been there. That door was sealed."

I looked up, feeling more than a little confused. "What? You mean that was real?" Riku didn't do anything. I sat in the sand, allowing shock and fear to set in. All of this just kept getting freakier and freakier to me. Too bad it wasn't about to end. Not in the slightest. Eventually I just let everything go and just drew random crap in the sand as Riku stayed silent. I don't think he heard me at first when I whispered, "Hey Riku?" It took him a few seconds to register that I talked before he raised an eyebrow. He stretched before I continued and spread out across the sand. "If this is all real and you do get me home again, how will you get back to the islands?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you end up in my world when I get there and there is no gummi ship, how will you get back? There's no such thing as spells or magic or talking animals on Earth. We're just people there. Nothing special about us. Well...aside from advances in civilization."

"That explains a lot," Riku muttered. I glared at him. "I don't know what I'd do then. Maybe I wouldn't be able to get back. I've never known a day without magic or anything but I'm sure there will be a way." He rolled on his side to face me. I smiled as he said my name. "How long have you been here?"

"As long as you have, I told you that. Pay attention! You still didn't tell me what you did back there though. How did you pull us out of Kairi's?"

"Don't worry about it. Darkness holds a lot of secrets."

"Darkness?"

"Never mind," he answered. I sighed and looked around again. "Hey, Yuki. When you go home, will you think all of this was just a crazy dream?"

"I don't know. To be honest, I don't really want to go home. I think I'd rather just live on Destiny Islands."

"Why? We're primitive to your cars and fancy religions, remember? All we have are coconuts and rafts." I hate when he gets snotty.

"So?"

"Won't you miss it?" I shook my head. "None of it? Not your friends and parents? Your room?" I shook my head again. "Not even your own clothes?" I smiled at the last question. It was true. I did miss my clothes. They weren't tight at the chest and hips like Kairi's stuff was on me. And a clean pair of my own underwear would be very nice. It's awkward borrowing undies from some one you barely know. Especially when they're so damn frilly! I spent so much time thinking about missing my clothes I almost missed Riku ask, "I'm sure every one's really worried about you back there. Your parents must be really scare-"

My hand touched his lips, stopping him from another word. "Don't Riku," I said. "It's just...complicated. Something I don't think you'd understand." I pulled my hand away slowly, all too ready to put it back if he started up again. Luckily he stayed quiet. "Our worlds are really different, aren't they?" Riku gave a little nod. "I wish mine was more like yours. Everything just seems better in your world. Everything seems...perfect."

"Our world isn't perfect either," he confessed. "There is still darkness lingering in the corners. It's just waiting to be freed. It just needs you to give in so they come again."

"That made no sense. What the hell are you talking about? Who's holding who back?"

"We are." Riku's voice sounded like it was drifting off. His thoughts fell from his lips in a very un-Riku way. Like he was just thinking out loud and not really caring if I over heard him or not. "It was along time ago. Sora and I closed off a world of darkness forever but they keep coming back some how. Keep finding openings in the hearts of others or maybe it's something else. Maybe there's something bigger going on. It's why His Highness wants us to check it out. We can make sure everything is sealed over one more time while we find your world." I shook my head from confusion but there was something else. "What?"

I shook my head a little more. "Do you hear that?" He sat up. "It's really distant but it almost sounds like Sora and Kairi." He looked around, his head cocked to the side, trying to hear what I heard. "You don't hear that?" I stood to look around. Riku joined me, wiping off sand and scanning the dark beach. "It's getting louder. Do you think...do you think they're here?"

"No. Something isn't right." He put a hand on my arm. "Are you sure you hear them?"

"I well...uh..." I stuttered.

"Well?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, there's a pretty loud ringing going on too but it doesn't really make a lot of sense for them to be here and-"

"Yuki!" Riku said sternly, grabbing my other arm. I looked up at him with wide eyes. He had no idea how right he was when he said something was wrong. "What? What is it?"

I cringed. "Ow." Riku let go of me quickly. "No...ow!" I yelped. I grabbed my chest, feeling a serious pain forming. Moaning, I stumbled back as it intensified. "Riku something's happening. It feels like...I'm having heart failure...or some one just...oh!" I gasped and looked down at the place Riku had touched earlier. A bright light bled through the cracks of my fingers. The rays seemed to blind as they brightened. The popping and cracking began again. I held my chest tighter. "What-what did you do to me?" I cried. Riku looked down on me as I keeled over in pain. He looked jaded as he stretched his hand out to me. He looked as if it wasn't the first time he had ever done it. I reached my other hand out to his. They touched as I sank to the sand. The light flashed brighter and I gripped Riku's hand tight. I shouted his name as the light engulfed us.

_I can't help but leave chapters with something happening. Just have to do it. Is it cause I'm worried you'll lose interest? I have no clue. Don't ask me. I hope you liked this chapter. It only gets weirder as we go. Next chapter some real weird stuff happens and I'll have that up really soon. As soon as I upload it to here anyways. Drop me something to go by okay? ska chan._


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Did you hear me say anything about me owning anything? No. All I own are my sneakers and they aren't even on.**

_I don't really knoe what to say so I won't. ska chan._

**Chapter Three **

Riku blinked, looking around at the light pink walls and wooden dresser beside him. He didn't even realize where he was or what exactly he was on until I moaned beneath him. Then he decided it would be a good idea to recognize our position. My eyes screwed shut as I began to cough. He looked around again. "How?" Sora looked at the bed in astonishment. "Sora, how did we get back here?" Riku asked calmly. The younger boy shook his head, letting his jaw swing open. Kairi dropped her glass on the floor. "How long were we gone?" It's kind of strange that he didn't, oh I don't know...Get the hell off of me! No, instead he just sat there, straddling me with his hand on my chest as I cough my brains out and ask questions. First priority should always be getting off of me. You'll see soon enough that he doesn't understand that in the slightest either. Annoying. "Any one?"

Sora pulled himself together first. "Half hour maybe?" Riku nodded, carefully and finally removing himself from my crunchy body. I kept coughing until this big black hunk of something came flying out of my mouth. I propped myself onto my elbows and we all stared at it and then every one went about their business again. I seriously can't figure these people out! Big thing comes out the mouth and festers on the carpet but we all talk about the past rather than: 'Holy shit what the hell is that thing?!' What? But it just sat there as every one else talked and I was the only one who paid it attention. For some reason, I felt bad for it and made it my duty to gawk at it since it had worked so hard to get out. I'm proud of you Huge Nasty Thing! Good job getting the hell out of me. Yeah...anyway! So while I gawked, Sora asked what had happened to us and why we had just disappeared, the cracking lights with us. Riku nodded again but didn't answer. His wandering eyes glanced at my black tumor and around the room before it hooked onto the gooey pile on Kairi's dresser. He pointed to it. Kairi jumped out of her skin leaving Sora to yelp, "Where'd it go?"

I looked around in surprise before sitting up. That's when I was really surprised. Most of me was easy enough to maneuver but my bandaged hand was giving me a hell of a time about ease. "It's here," I piped up. I held up my hand, my grip already slipping on the heavy bone. The part I held spiraled under my fingers in small ridges until it connected back to what I guess you'd call the hilt which twisted in two large spikes up my wrist. The gross part is that dried bits of blood were flaking off onto Kairi's bed as I moved it off. "Did it look like this before? I mean, I don't really remember anything about it but I think I would have remembered this part."

"Did it mutate?" Kairi whispered, shock laying heavy in her voice. Sora nodded. "We should get the King. He probably knows something, right?"

Sora agreed, saying, "I'll go find him. Wait here okay, Yuki?" I nodded, thinking _Where the hell else am I gonna go? _"I'll be right back."

Sora excused himself, leaving us to an awkward silence. Riku took my wrist as I readjusted myself to sit beside him rather than behind and examined the blade again. His brow furrowed, his finger running down the edge. I followed his finger. Kairi picked up the dropped glass and ice. Her blue eyes ran up Riku's body as she got back up. He glanced back up at her and she smiled. "Riku can I talk to you in private please?" She smiled to me now. "It'll just be a second." I shrugged. What the hell would I care? They stepped out and I looked at my kinda key blade. I tried not to hear them, tried to look out of the window instead, focus on the already dark sky or figure out if my hand just stopped bleeding or if something 'magical' happened to it while I was out but damn if they weren't loud. I could hear them, standing in the hall outside the door, Riku probably looking away and Kairi smiling all sweet like anyway. I heard her ask, "Where were you two?" After a second, it was, "I want to know what happened. Please Riku, tell me."

"There's nothing to tell. We just sat on a cold beach that I've sat on a million times before."

"Really? You just sat on a beach?"

"Yeah that's it. We just sat there. Didn't even talk really." He paused. "Kairi, I don't know why but she doesn't want to go home. I think she's afraid."

No one said anything for a while. I thought it was over and I wouldn't have to feel bad about hearing everything but no. I was wrong. There was more. Much more. "How did you get back here?" Riku explained about the pain in my chest and the hand holding and light and then he repeated himself, which doesn't seem like him, about my fear of home. I guess that's when Kairi's sweet smile wiped away and she showed some real emotion. "That doesn't mean she should be in our world," she muttered. That's cold, Kairi. "I mean, it's been really hard on me having you and Sora gone for so long. But now that you're back, you're just leaving again and you should have the choice to stay here! You shouldn't have to spend your whole life on stupid missions over silly girls who don't want to go home!" Seriously cold, Kairi, seriously. Her voice was trembling but to me, maybe I'm jaded though, it sounded a little fake.

"It's been hard on us too, Kairi. But even if we had the choice of staying or going, I would still go. Yuki needs our help and who knows how many others do too."

"I know," she said quietly. Her voice began rising as she continued on her anti-Yuki campaign. I don't think she actually likes me. Drat. "But that's why it's not fair! Why can't people depend on some one else for a change? We've been separated for so long and now that you're back you're just going to leave me again. All because this girl showed up and turned our world upside down." I tried to picture the world being upside down. It looked ridiculous and I decided she was wrong because of it. Is that childish? Kairi sniffed loudly and I heard Riku sigh and drag his feet on the ground. I don't think this house is very well insulated. "I just, I want it to be like it was. Before all of this. Do you remember what life was like then?"

"Yeah, it was childish and silly. But I understand, Kairi. I promise it'll be like that again. But we need to take Yuki home first."

"But what if she doesn't! What if she just refuses to go or you can't find her world? She's not like us. She's not human." My eyebrows felt like they rocketed off of my face. _I'm not human? _I'm _not human? What? Just cause I don't have size 20 feet and a tiny little waist like you? What the crap! _My grip on the key blade tightened.

It took Riku a moment to speak and when he did, it was nothing more than a whisper that I actually strained to hear. "Kairi, it isn't up to us if she stays or goes. The same way it was hard for me being on my own, it's hard for her. What she really needs is friends that can help her. It doesn't matter if she's not like us. Neither are Goofy and Donald but we like them, don't we? Just give it a little time. Be the sweet Kairi I know and keep our spirits up, okay?" I want to punch that woman. The mush I had to endure was making me want to vomit. I was starting to wish they'd go some where else or just stop talking already.

"Why did you go in the first place? I mean when Yuki was on the bed and you disappeared."

"I was trying to protect her. I would have done the same for you." And then there was silence. I smiled. They finally sto-no. No wait. There's even more! Good lord people! Get a room! "Are you gonna be okay?" I guess she nodded. "Good. Look, Kairi, everything will be how it was, I promise. We just have to take Yuki home first. Then we're right back here with you."

"Why can't I come?"

"King Mickey wanted Sora and me and told you no for a reason. If you came, we might get distracted or something, you know?" Riku laughed. Kairi giggled and walked away and I thanked God it was the end of that horrible real life soap opera. I was afraid to know when the next episode of Destiny Islands: Days of Our Youth would be on and was already praying I would miss it when I heard Riku's hand on the door knob. Sora called his name and he stopped. He said he couldn't the king. His shoulders were slouched as he went into the room, ignoring Sora's calls. We looked at each other, exchanging sad expressions before I pulled my hand free of ol' Boney and rubbed my face with my clean hand. For some reason the words, "I'm sorry," blurted out of my mouth. He watched me, unblinking. I stood, started pacing under his watch. With a sigh, I sat back down, saying, "I didn't mean for any of this to happen." I don't know what the hell was wrong with me. I mean, yeah it's true I was sorry and all but why was I saying it to Riku? He's a snotball.

"How did you get here?" he asked stiffly. Sora opened the door and he held up his hand. "Yuki, how did you get here?"

"I don't know."

"Well what do you remember?" he asked. I smiled sadly. Sora says it hurts to see me like I was right then. All emotion faded from my face except for that smile and my body went kind of slack. Sora pushed past Riku to sit beside me. Riku sighed. "We have to know. It's the only way we can get somewhere. It's the first step to getting you home."

My knuckles turned white as I clenched my fists. Sora put a hand on my back. I started getting really pissed. I just wanted this to be over. I didn't want to bother these people anymore and I didn't want to go home because...well you'll figure it out very soon. All of this talk and everything Kairi had just said...It all suddenly hit me like a twenty pound bag full of bricks and broken glass dropped from a four story house right onto my exposed brain. "Why do you want me to go home so bad? Can you really not live your happy carefree life simply because I exist here?"

"What? No, it's just you should be in your world. Bad things always seem to happen when people start meddling in other wor...uh...I'm sure your parents really miss you too and are really worried about you. They've probably called every one they know to find you and you don't want to put that kind of stress on them, do you? I mean, when the Islands reformed, Kairi says they were so worried about me. Of course no one remembered me a few days later but that was a little different. And you've gotta miss your house right? Your bed and pillow...eating ice cream with your friends. Right?" Sora said, trying to persuade me. That's when it happened. I went off the deep end like never before and damn did I let them have it. I'm not proud of what I said but this is so I can remember everything so I'm going to say everything. Just excuse me if my cheeks turn red.

I had jumped up as he finished, the very flames of hell glistening in the black of my eyes. I could feel the small cuts I was already carving in my palms get deeper as I yelled, "My parents? What the hell do you know about my parents? About my world or anything! We don't have the ever going sunsets and clear waterfalls. There's no such thing as peaceful living or fairytale endings in my world! And you want to talk about parents? My crack pot mom left when I was two to be with some other junkie in fucking Ohio! My father fell into debt because of her and decided to sell me since I was seven! That fucking man molested me and beat me and you want to send me back? You don't know shit. You just sit here in some perfect world with every damn thing handed to you on a plate. You don't even know the definition of sin! But hey, you wanna send me back to my shit hole, that's fine by me. I hope you have fun eating ice cream and playing fucking patty cake!" A pain had been growing in my chest since I had started my rant and now it felt like some one had punched straight through it. Sora stood as I pressed the spot. I glared up at him. "Don't. Don't fucking touch me! You want to send me back to the harlequin streets I came from go ahead! Kairi was right. I don't belong here. I'll just taint the air you breathe by my filthiness. You don't have to worry about me. I can find my own way back to my world." Blood and tears hit the floor, soaking into the plush carpet. The pain in my chest swelled, threatening to burst, as I ripped open the door and ran out. I was already on the beach by the time I heard Sora calling my name. My vision dimmed. Bright stars crackled around me. I returned to darkness.

It was like it was the first time I found myself in that weird dark world where things crawled over each other hoping to find an escape. I stared at them and they stared back at me before jumping to me with their dark arms wide. But then they stopped. They looked around as if they could no longer see me and put their round heads to the ground, sniffing. I climbed over them, feeling like one of them, and found a ledge to cry upon. I knew they couldn't see me any more. I don't know how they couldn't but I was safe on that ledge and was finally able to let out all of my tears. I stayed there for what felt like a very long time until my own heart betrayed me. And then I came back. See, Riku and Sora had rushed out to find me and left a mess behind them. They traced my whereabouts to the entrance of the cove, where a small cluster of those lights still clung to the sand. As Sora begged Riku to explain what was going on, I was screaming at myself in the dark world. All the pain and all the emotion I had held in for so long escaped me and that pain was back again. There was no crackling lights this time but my shone forth like a damn light house in the dark. Those things could see me now, bright as day, and they were not about to let me escape again. I was buried and my chest throbbed with pain and light. It felt like the world was being sucked into that light which in turn was being sucked into me. And then I blinked at Sora and Riku in the dark and squeaked like a mouse.

They held their ears as if thunder had sounded and then stared at me like I was a ghost. Sora said my name like I had been lost for years but I didn't really hear him. There was a high pitched whistle that squealed high with every second. I looked down the beach in horror. Lipping out an "Oh my God," I screamed as it arrived. We all stopped breathing. My hands clenched and relaxed against wooden barrier behind me. After a few clenches, my body let out a shake and I gasped, seeing my chest. None of us did anything. It didn't even hurt that much. Really just...very very shocking. Sora whispered, "How did that happen?" He closed the gap between us, his hand reaching forward. His fingers brushed the humming key blade sticking out of my rib cage. Warm liquid trickled down my body and even though I was stuck to a wall, I was actually thinking how glad I was that it was blood rather than urine. Because let's face it. Peeing yourself is much more embarrassing than say, having your bra cut in half while you stand tacked to a wall. It's funny the things we think about when really awful things are happening. "Riku, what do we do?" Sora asked. Riku shook his head, crossing his arms. Such a snot ball. I was finding it a little hard to breathe and began coughing up wads of blood all over the sand, and if that wasn't bad enough, moving the key blade which made it hurt really bad. "Riku?'

"We have to get that thing out of her. If she stays pinned to the wood, she'll die." Sora gripped the bone. "If we take it out, she'll die." Sora pulled his hands away quickly and looked at Riku. He put his hands on the key blade, waiting for Sora to carefully do the same. I was sure this was going to be painful. I tried not to move or breathe. "Are you going to be able to hold her?" Sora thought before nodding. "Okay. As soon as this is pulled out, she's going to fall. Catch her and run to the house as fast as you possibly can and get Donald. Don't bother trying to heal her first, it won't do much." Sora nodded and they tightened their grip. I put my hands on the shaft with them. They looked at me before we pulled. I screamed like I have never screamed before as we pulled. Blood poured out of my chest, running down me and the key blade, making our grip lessen. The boys grunted, I tried not to cry. The key moved inside me. It twisted under our hands, ripping at my insides. The other two turned it straight. I don't think I'll ever be able to have children after that night. This whole story just gets freakier and freakier. It crunched and something spread in out in my guts. With a final yank it came out. Riku and Sora fell back. I spewed blood like I was in a damn Quintin Tarentino movie. It connected into little streams of carnage creating lakes and ponds. Who knew I could lose so much blood in one day? But no. It gets freakier. Sora was so stunned seeing my spine through my ribcage, yes you could see it if the blood wasn't puddling in there, that I fell into the sand. Riku shouted at Sora and grabbed me. He boosted me up, holding my wound against him and ran toward the houses. Sora called for him to stop. "Sora she needs help! Tell me later!" he shouted. Sora yelled his name again, begging him to stop. Riku turn quickly, snapping, "What?"

"That!" Sora yelped. He pointed to the puddles on the ground. The thin streams connecting most of the mess continued to move on their own, touching every puddle and tiny drop in the sand. As it moved on to other puddles, the back slipping into the sand without a trace. The lines lurched along, slowly catching up to us by following the stream falling between Riku and me. I tried to pay attention but all I could really pay attention to was how cold it was becoming in so short a time. Sora commented, "It almost looks like-'

"Heartless," Riku breathed.

_That's right! They're back and doin' some weirdo crap, lemme tell you. In later chapters. XD. Four is up already so I won't get into it. Give me some love! ska chan._


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own kh**

_I don't knoe what to do so I'm posting chapter four. It all seems so sad though. No one's said anything and I'm starting to think maybe it just isn't a good story. I mean, I knoe there's a lot going on really fast but it's imperative for it all to happen immediately. It's about to calm down so don't worry. Just..I'm babbling and need to stop cause I'm sounding whiny. Sorry! ska chan._

**Chapter Four **

Riku probably ran faster than he had in his life. I could feel his legs pump beneath me up the beach as dark puddles formed behind us. I sucked in shallow breathes as I lost more and more feelings in my limbs. "Hold on," he whispered. He moved me to his hip and kicked open Kairi's door. He raced into the living room, carefully placing me on the sofa. Riku yelled, "Donald! We need help! Yuki's hurt! Get in here!" He knelt beside me, taking my hand. I couldn't feel him holding it, couldn't even feel his warmth anymore. "You'll be okay, Yuki. I promise."

"Ya know," I whispered, "it doesn't really hurt anymore. I think I'm actually okay. Don't feel a thing." Riku looked at me sadly. He pushed my bangs away with his other hand and held it to my forehead. My eyesight started flickering again. You might think about the fact that you're dying if you had lost as much blood as me but that didn't cross my mind. I thought about how cold it was and why all of this was happening to me. I'm just a kid. Not even seventeen yet. I have my whole life ahead of me but I'm here on this little happy go lucky island full of kids with huge feet and eyes. What was so special about me that I got here somehow? I never did anything great in my life, I had shit grades, and then suddenly I, I don't know, teleport to an entirely different dimension. What did all of this mean? For a second I thought this was all just a really bad acid trip but then I remembered I didn't do acid. Damn. This is real. "Hey Riku?"

"Save your breath Yuki," he said.

"It's really cold. Can we go inside?" Riku nodded and it was the last thing I saw for a while. I don't know why he said yes to that question. I never took him for the humoring kind. But then again I was dying again so I guess he was just being nice. How many times have I nearly died any way? Huh...Kairi and Donald had made it in directly after that and Kairi screamed. Riku looked down at the mess covering him and the trail we had left on the carpet. He sighed. I smiled at them weakly.

"What happened? Riku are you okay? Where did all of that come from?" Kairi yelped.

Riku ignored her, looking back to the hole in my chest. The cavity brimmed with blood that spilled over each time I breathed. I was butchering that poor couch. "Yuki's been stabbed, Donald. Do you think you can heal that?" He gestured to the hole in my chest. The duck waddled over, adjusting his cap. He nodded to Riku. Stretching his feathered fingers over my pale body, he quacked. Riku didn't bother waiting for the results. His fingers twitched as he walked back outside. Yellow eyes stared at him in the dark. His fingers spread and a dark blade formed. Kairi watched a black trail follow him out, sinking into the ground. Her hand rose up to her chest instinctively as she followed it. The dark stain wound its way around her door mat, slithering through the front hall into the living room only to drip from the hand Riku had held. The stream running down my arm was, she had decided, the cause of all this commotion.

With a glance back through the open door, she called, "Donald has the bleeding stopped?" The duck quacked. "Okay. Um...Donald I think Sora and Riku are fighting Heartless out there."

Donald quacked outrageously, "Goofy! Come on!" I don't know where he was before or what he was doing before and during the screams, probably putting babies on stakes, but he came barreling down the hall to join the fight and if there was any kind of fluid in me it would have come out right then. Shinigami. I swear. To God. Seeing that alone woke me up the most. His hat skimmed the ceiling the same way that pole on bumper cars does as he grabbed up his shield. The strange duo nodded to Kairi, who knew what to do, and disappeared into the night. Shutting the door, Kairi walked back into the living room. The black trail had disappeared as well as I looked around with renewed vision. She smiled down on me like a mother might.

"What happened?" I croaked. Kairi shrugged. I closed my eyes for a moment as a new feeling began to show itself. I had already been healed mostly and left with nothing but a bruise running from my breasts to my belly button and killed clothes. I officially knew what it felt like to be healed. But this was different. This was like...like putting a puzzle back together and your skin is the puzzle. It felt like I was coming together again. "They're really blowing the things out there apart, aren't they?"

"They always do. They're pretty goo- Wait, what? How do you know? I thought you were passed out."

It didn't make much sense to me but I thought this was my fault that those things were out there, that maybe I had bled them into life or something. But even if that were true, what sense would it make if they returned to my body after dying? It was better if I didn't tell Kairi. "I could still hear you guys. Look, Kairi, you understand this world. What the hell is going on?"

Kairi shook her head. "I don't really know. Riku just ran in and out, leaving you here. Now he's probably destroying Heartless left and right." She rolled her eyes like it was such a typical boy thing.

"Isn't that bad though? Aren't Heartless bad?"

"Well yeah but those four can take on pretty much anything."

"Shouldn't we help them?" I asked.

"They're okay. Really, don't worry about them. Besides, we can't do anything until you're feeling better. You're in no shape to fight and if something comes, this is the best place for me to protect you." She gave me a silly girl grin, and took my mucky hand. "You're a mess. Let's get you cleaned up. You can borrow some more of my clothes until we get those cleaned. Or tossed. Just try not to wreck these ones okay?" My boobs dropped as she pulled me up. She stared at the slice in my shirt for a second. Closing her jaw and recomposing herself, she commented, "And we'll see what we can do about that, okay?" Kairi continued to chatter away as she pulled me down the hall to her room.

As we reached her door, I pulled my arm away and snapped out of my confused daze. "Kairi," I cut in. "How are you doing this?" She looked back, puzzled. "How can you talk about bra sizes and sneakers when your best friends are out there risking everything? You're not even worried! I don't know how the hell you're doing it, but there is no way I'm staying in here when I know I could be helping." Kairi blinked at me as I stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind me. My eyes adjusted to the dark quickly enough to see them. As if my dark subconscious world had come to this one, all the eyes I had seen before, the jumping and crawling beasts, they stared at me hungrily. I shrank against the door, whispering, "Oh." Two pairs of eyes streaked toward me. I fell back into the house as Kairi opened the door. Yelping, I was dragged back in. "What are you doing? We should do something!"

"No Yuki!" Kairi ordered. "You don't get it. They'll be fine. Better even, if they know we're safe. You have no idea what those things can do or even what they are! You don't even have a weapon. Get in here!" Kairi forced me into the house and locked the door behind her. "If you're going to be so stubborn about it, let me be the one that goes out. If they're going to be angry, they can be angry at me. But I'll only go if you promise to stay here where it's safe." My jaw clenched as I looked at her. How could she ask me to stay there? Not do anything when it was my fault. "Okay?" she asked. With a little thought, I nodded. "Good. Go take a shower, find some clothes that fit, and please, stay here. I'll go see what's happening." With a heavy sigh, I walked away from her. The lock unclicked and the door opened and shut. I was alone. Running my crusted over hands over my crusted over face, I took a deep breath and smirk. _Oh my God she believed me. She really thinks I'm going to stay...wow. _Throwing on flannel from the closet on, I slipped through the door.

Staying a good distance behind the other girl, we raced down to the beach. The yellow eyes were fewer than before but like me, they followed Kairi to the open sands. More and more eyes appeared in between dark buildings and back alleys. Some kept their distance while others slid along the ground after us. A small group sped out of an alley and I shouted, "Kairi to your right!" She spun, a flowery key blade immediately forming in her hands. She slashed through them before turning to me with a trembling expression. I ran up to her. "Sorry but there was no way I was stayin' there."

"Yuki get back to the house! You shouldn't be out here by yourself!"

"Neither should you by the looks of it. Come on we should keep moving." I started for the beach. Kairi grabbed my wrist. "What?" She glared at me and I pulled away from her again. That girl seriously needs to learn how to grip things better. It's pathetic. How does she eat sandwiches without them falling with that grip? I mean damn. Work on that. Go break some rocks or something. Are you squeezing those rocks? Good! Dammit. "I'm not going back! Just deal with it already and let's go help!" I ran on. There was no need to wait for a reply. I already knew she would say no so I ran. She called after me but I didn't stop. Maybe I should have though. Things would have gone differently. Kairi probably wouldn't have drowned in Heartless shadows and I probably wouldn't have been dragged off to the little island by soldiers. But you'll hear about that in a minute. First I'm gonna tell you something real scary just as it was told to me.

Kairi had raced down the beach after me but lost track of where I had gone thanks to the Heartless soldiers. So she stood in the moonlit sand, searching for any sign of me when she noticed the groups of Heartless circling her. Taking heart from the scene of gore from her friends, she said, "I can take these, I've done it before." Cold sweat was already beading across her forehead as she faced them. The small Heartless charged. Kairi swung her key blade like you would a tennis racket and they jumped away, already preparing another attack. Kairi yelled as one latched onto her back. Her free hand flailed violently as she tried to get it off. Tripping over another, she fell, crushing the first. In the blink of an eye they covered her from head to toe. She kicked and swung, screaming at the top of her lungs for help. Through the bodies smothering her, Kairi spotted another shadow take form. Her eyes filled with fear as it rapidly approached. Brimming with darkness, it came. Taller than herself with a pace too quick to follow, it flew to her. Kairi's shriek stopped. It lunged at her, flinging Heartless from her. She threw her hands before it, begging 'no' over and over. The other Heartless jumped up and attacked the shadow. Kairi scrambled to her feet and ran for her life. The shadow ran after her, catching her all too quickly, and roared. Her voice stopped in mid scream. "G-Goofy?" she squeaked.

"Gawrsh Kairi, you sure can find trouble! I thought you're 'spose ta be at home with Yuki," the monstrous dog said. HOW FREAKING TERRIFYING IS THAT! Shinigami dog Goofy attacks you in the night but when he realizes you're a friend he pretends like he's saving you. He was gonna eat you! You don't fool me! I know the truth! You were going to kill Kairi and use her head as your new shield, weren't you? I see past your lies and carefree toothy grins. He released Kairi to whomp the near by Heartless. He turned back to her and saw her knees buckle. "Are you feelin' okay Kairi?"

She swallowed. "I'll be fine, Goofy. Thanks. Hey, have you seen Yuki anywhere?" Goofy's ears slapped against his head as he shook it. Kairi sighed. "I wish she just listened to me." She emphasized that one on me. "She ran out here somewhere. We need to find her before she gets really hurt." She looked out across the beach. Sora and Riku chased a group of Heartless toward them. She jumped as a large fireball flew past them, obliterating the Heartless closest to them. Kairi nodded to Donald, who waddled to join the group. More fireballs devoured the darkness as every one came together. Kairi shrunk behind Goofy as Riku shouted her name.

"Kairi!" She says he was damn angry and blames me completely. I blame that she flailed like a stupid and he saw. "What are you doing out here? You could have been hurt! Where's Yuki?"

She shook her head. "She wanted to help but I lost track of her when I got here."

And then Sora asked, "Was she bleeding at all?"

"Uh...no. Why?"

"Riku and me are pretty sure she's what brought the Heartless here." Kairi blinked at him. "When she got hurt, they started forming where ever she bled."

"That doesn't make sense. They live in a world, not a body."

But then Riku said, "We'll talk about it later. Right now we have a missing girl that needs finding before she causes any more trouble.We'll meet back up at the house in fifteen, okay?" The group nodded, already breaking up. "Kairi!" Riku said quickly. She turned, I'm sure, with a smile. "Go back to the house and wait there in case she went back." And now from what Riku told me, Kairi nodded. He watched her walk back to the house with Sora and let out a disgruntled sigh. The later part of our adventures together, I really started wondering if that sigh was annoyance at my troublesome ways or because he wanted to be the one to protect Kairi and take care of her the way only Sora does. It's really sad. With Donald and Goofy heading to the left, Riku started off toward his battle ground. A few Heartless watched him, sinking back into the night as he glimpsed them. His muscles tightened as he walked.

More eyes disappeared from trees and rocks. Each Heartless sunk down as he neared, all slinking beyond his step. Looking over his shoulder, he saw rows of shadows sinking down, speeding up to whiz by him. With in seconds, the ground became a sea of black from the darkness as they moved forward and regrouped. Riku squinted to see where they were going. The Heartless ran across the thin bridge in front of him. They lept over and crawled under each other to get to the small island. Some looked back at him as they ran, no longer caring if he saw them. The island began glowing a dark purple as they packed onto it. Riku ran as the last few slipped in. The aura around the island pulsed as the last shadow slid off the bridge. Riku looked around at the sudden silence. I'm finally about to come back into play in one of the worst moments of my life. He stopped on the edge of the bridge. The island, though purple, was completely normal. The leaves of the palms swayed gently and a coconut fell on the empty sand. Riku blinked but the scene remained the same. Slowly, his fingers dipped into the aura. He pulled them back out and stared at the chilled tips. Key blade at the ready, he took a breath and entered the empty island.

_Seriously! I cannot help but to write cliffhanger after cliffhanger after bloody cliffhanger! I think it's cause I'm worried you won't be interested if I just leave it well and good. But I need to broaden my horizons. Need to experiment. With yaoi. o.O ska chan._


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything kh aside from games...posters...and a Sora plushie...**

_Shut up I'm manly!_

**Chapter Five**

Riku's hand slapped over his ears. His hair and bangs whipped around him as he tried to recompose himself. An ocean of Heartless, more than had been on the island before, stood with their backs to him. Above the harsh winds and buzzing of Heartless, another sound rang in his ears. A constant high pitched scream bit into his head. He looked around at the uncaring Heartless before it hit him. Determination wrote a new story on his face and Riku slashed forward. The Heartless submitted to his attacks. Riku yelled for me as he crashed through the throngs. The closer he got the louder my scream became. Shadows moved and jumped over those who were closer to the center. A dark column shot from the middle of them causing the sky to pulse. Riku fought with them to get closer.

Riku became like the Heartless as he slashed and hacked away and finally reached the center. His jaw went slack. Shadow after shadow lept into the black circle at his feet. As they jumped in, the circle widened, melting down dozens of others. He pushed back against the Heartless, seemingly terrified of falling into the ebbing dark. The cycle continued until the darkness covered half the island. A wave of it crashed forward and suddenly began shrinking. Riku ran back to the center with the last shadows to find the source of all the chaos. Me.

I sobbed as my body rose back from the dark puddle acting like a pulled plug in a bath tub of black. I stopped just above the sand with my back to it and my arms spread limply. Black streams writhed and squirmed over my numb body, becoming fat as Heartless joined the dark that held me down. Riku watched the small shadows absorb into me. I stared back at him, the tears streaking down my cheeks. My mouth opened and closed unable to form words. I stretched my fingers out to him, desperately trying to reach him. Riku hesitated and shook his head violently. Like there was a battle he was fighting inside. With a sudden shout, he smacked a shadow away, watching it turn to ash before he turned to another. He furiously fought against them, thinning them down to a few. My cries must have hit his ear as another asshole Heartless began sinking into me.

Riku stood ready to swing but didn't move. He looked at the shadow, confused. I don't blame him. I was more than a little confused myself. The thing wiggled its body into my chest like all the others but this one was different. It didn't sink for a second and twisted in me, which didn't hurt so much as burn, and started sinking again. But that wasn't the really strange thing. After it began sinking in, I realized it was holding my keyblade to its little body. I screamed insanely as the key began its descent. It resisted my body, sinking slowly rather than passing through like I was water. Riku finished his prolonged swing on yet another Heartless and continued to beat them off, keeping one eye on the keyblade. He darted back to me as the last shadow exploded into dust and ash. The darkness had shrunk down to shadow my body. The keyblade let out a sickening crunch as Riku took hold of it. The Heartless holding it slapped a freehand out at Riku. If I wasn't being mutilated I probably would have laughed at the childish attempt. Riku flipped his blade around and stuck it in the thing's head. He turned his attention back to my keyblade. It inched out slowly and his grip tightened around the handle. He yelled as blood poured into the darkness. Riku gave it a final jerk and it shot out, sending him flying across the sand.

Our ears popped as sudden suction pulled him toward me. The trees around us bent from the pulling winds. The purple fog that surrounded the island swirled and whipped like a tornado, with much the same sound, and sped to the center of my chest. It was as if there was a giant target there just begging everything that ever existed on that tiny island to come to it. The dark pool beneath me flooded out spastically like one of the bosses from Yoshi's Island when you beat them that melted down everything it touched that dealt with darkness including me. Tendrils flew out below the sand and latched themselves to me, sucking down my body as the last strands of the purple fog sucked into me. Riku shouted. He jumped to his feet and hacked away at the tendrils uncaring if he cut too deep or not. The wind screamed back at him as he chopped away.

In a flash it was over. Riku had snapped the last dark thread and it whipped in the air a second before sliding back under me resentfully. The winds just stopped all together. The palms snapped upright again. The only thing that didn't return to normality was the vast amounts of coconuts and broken bird eggs littering the ground. With a fainted breath, I called out to him. He blinked at me as if he saw a completely stranger. My dirty hand stretched out to him again and this time he took it. Both of us shook. His keyblade faded. Riku sat me up as I continued to cry quietly. He lifted me up with his free hand, letting me hold his other close to my face and sob and snot and bleed on it. Right then, I decided he wasn't the snot ball I took him for at first. Just a little rough around the edges.

No one said a word as Riku opened the door carefully. That was a little uncomfortable considering his hand was moving under my ass but with everything that had happened and what was still happening, who really cares? He collapsed in the arm chair, leaving me, who was practically asleep, in his arms. I'm really surprised he had carried me the entire way to Kiari's without even a hint of exhaustion in his arm. I guess it's one of those other world things. Sora took a step toward us but Kiari put a hand on his shoulder. She shook her head as he looked back at her. My body tingled with cure spells from Donald. Kiari silently ushered every one away from the room when he was done, her eyes filling with tears. I'm sure that leaving was a huge disappointment to Goofy who more than likely saw us as helpless prey he could feed on. You could feel her hands shake as she put a blanket over us. The tears finally dropped and slid down her cheeks as she turned off the lights and went to her room. I didn't know why she was crying then. It's a sad story for all of us but as the plot thickened, our emotions grew with it.

It was just after sunrise that Riku woke up. I remained drifting between consciousness and my love of sleep but I knew what was going on to some degree. Riku opened his bright eyes listlessly. They lazily wandered around the living room, noting pictures of childhood friends and the multicolored seashells that covered every possible surface in Kiari's color filled living room. His eyebrows rose as he looked at the dark stain on the sofa. Nodding to himself, he turned to face the dark mass of hair on his shoulder. His hands grabbed fist fulls of fabric before he recognized it as me. He took a breath and relaxed. I guess my breath on his neck tickled a bit seeing as I could feel his whole expression change against me. I shivered and my arm tightened around his neck as I pulled myself closer. His fingers twitched from the movement. "Yuki?" he whispered. He felt around in the way I hope was a means of escape and felt all the rips my capris. His body quaked beneath mine. "Those do nothing," he groaned to himself, fingering more tears. "Yuki please. Yuki wake up!" I stirred a little, yawning and wiggling into a more comfortable position. We both felt his body clench up.

I cracked open my eye. My fingers stretched through his hair and I croaked, "Riku?" His eyes slammed shut as I sat up. I looked at him. From the tight jaw to perfectly still body, down to the tightly gripping fingers on my thighs. He tried not to move as I studied him. "I don't think I want to know why I ended up straddling you through out the entire night and never even woke up once but there is the more immediate question of why your hands are all up on my legs." His hands jumped away as I said it. His eye cracked open at me. And then they snapped open to stare at my chest. I threw my arms around the girls, remembering last night. "You mind? Jesus! Men are all the same, even in this world!" I take back what I said about him not being a snot ball. He's a wad.

He looked at me as if I were the pervert. "What? No! But I need you to move your arms." One hand started prying my arms away while the other worked at the bottom of my shredded shirt. I yelped, squirming away from him. He sighed. "Would you stop moving? Just let me see-" I shouted as I leaned too far back. My back hit the floor. Riku, hands still entwined in my arm and shirt, was pulled down with me and groaned as our pelvic bones connected. Foot steps flew down the hall. Kiari gasped as she ran in. Sora ran into her, forgetting to apologize. Their jaws swung as they stared at us. After a second, Kiari's mouth began flapping like a fish. Sora busted with laughter. Kiari looked at him in confusion and back to Riku and I. We just blinked at each other, our mouths full of each other's forgotten shouts and Riku nestled between my legs. His ocean eyes slowly looked up at the chocolate brown of Kiari's. Her mouth still flapped.

Sora yelped as his knees gave out and he fell into the wall. The laughing continued and his face grew bright red from lack of oxygen. Kiari kicked him. He nodded to her clumsily, trying to put a stop to it. After a few deep breathes and normal skin color began to appear, he slid down the wall, laughing harder. "Sorry!" he cried. He pulled himself up and took Kiari's hand. "Come on Kiari, we should get back to our rooms or something. They need a little privacy."

Riku sprang up. "No it's- it's not like that! We were just- well she just- but I- and she thought- but I wasn't- Well, you look!" he stammered. Grabbing my wrist, he pulled me up. I almost fell from the sudden change. Riku held me up.

"What do you mean 'look'? My boobs aren't some cheap show, ya know!" I said angrily, covering my chest again and glaring.

He sighed. "It's not your chest I'm interested in. Don't flatter yourself." I glared harder. "I was looking at _that_," he stated, poking below my arms. I squeaked as he did and slapped his hand away, yelling 'Do you mind!' He just rolled his eyes. See? Wad.

"No," Sora said slowly. "I understand." We all looked at him as he finally got his crap straight. He and Kiari walked over and bent down to my exposed skin area. I fidgeted uncomfortably. "But what is it?" he asked. Fingers brushed my skin, giving me goose bumps in a really awkward way. "Yuki, have you always had this?"

"Huh?" I looked down. Wish I hadn't but I would have seen sooner or later. I mean, I do bathe regularly. My entire body jumped as if I were trying to get away from myself. My fingers pushed away the stiff destroyed fabric my last few buttons held together. Through the gaps and large cut beneath my breasts, a dull red peaked out. Turning on my heel, I pulled away the rest of my shirt and over shirt and began rubbing at my stomach. "What the hell is this?" I rubbed harder but then it just started to hurt. Riku grabbed my shoulder, flipping me around to face the others. Cupping my bare chest quickly, I yelled, "For God's sake Riku!"

"What?" he asked, bending down close.

"What is wrong with you!" I screamed back. He was so close I could feel each individual breath he took on my belly. Not. Cool.

"Just let me look at your stomach, will you?" With a huff, I tightened my grip and endured the group study. Hands poked and prodded, running across skin and around my belly button. Riku and Sora murmured quietly. Sora nodded as he watched Kiari. I tried not to pay attention to the sad and hopeless glances each person gave me. Riku sighed, leaving for outside and Sora went to the kitchen as Kiari shrugged at the guys and went back to her room. I stood in the middle of the empty living room still holding my chest and looking disgruntled. Glancing to either side of me, I wrapped my shirt and flannel around my body, pinning it down with my arms wrapped around them. Taking two steps toward the hall, I wheeled around and entered the kitchen.

Sora looked up from the counter. I opened my mouth but he beat me to it. "We're leaving soon. It won't be safe for the people here if we stay and there are people out there who might know what's going on." Sora pulled bread from a cabinet, going after knives and mayonnaise next. As he arrange lunch meat and cheese, he said, "We don't know anything about what happened last night or how you got that mark on you but don't worry. We're going to fix this. And none of this is your fault so don't feel bad, okay? You should probably go see Kiari though. She's good to talk to and she can lend you some more clothes." I nodded, feeling very dismissed and left.

Kiari paced back and forth in her room. Sets of clothes sat on her bed, waiting for my approval. I eyed each article, checking sizes and material. As I tried to make the only bra close to fitting me work, I commented, "I don't think much of this is going to fit. No offense or anything but you're a little smaller than me." She smiled at me as I pushed my chest around. Kiari shrugged as she examined the fit. "But hey, so long as it works, it works, right? And anything is better than mauled jeans and shirts." Silence settled as I started buttoning up a new white blouse. I stopped on the second button and forgot about it as I looked at my stomach. A shaky finger traced its way around a red outlined heart. It ran down to the upside down flor de lies pointing down to my belly button and back up to the spiked x in the middle. I blinked tears away as I looked at Kiari. Breathlessly I asked, "Why?" The other girl blinked back sadly. "What is this thing on me? Why do I have to be the one to have it?"

Kiari nodded to herself before looking down. Her hand ran up her arm as she said, "Because...You're Heartless."

_Bum bum bum! Who saw that coming? Well...I guess you did before she said it. But now it's dramatic. Blood, gore, drama...this is like a super awesome soap opera! But manly...and geeky...w00t w00t ska chan._


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own nothin' but my car. And your soul.**

_Wishing you hadn't sold it to me for that cheese burger now, huh? Uh huh. I'm so happy I got reviews! Its only been like a year but O M G I am pumped! In typical Kingdom Hearts fashion I sloed this one down and kinda recapped and Yuki gets a new look. Adventure? Not yet. That's in chapter seven. Start reading...now!_

**Chapter Six**

I stared at her a little longer. Kiari sat on the edge of her bed and watched me rub at the mark. My hands worked furiously at the dull black surrounded by red. "How did this happen?" I squeaked. "How did this get here? Why does this make me Heartless? I thought Heartless were those little black things. Oh God. Kiari, am I gonna turn into one of those little black things?" I was pacing around her room as I panicked. Stopping, I faced her. "What the hell is gonna happen to me?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm a little confused about you. If you were Heartless, your heart would have left and your body would have started becoming a No Body. You should probably ask Riku. He knows a lot more about this stuff than I do. I just know that mark and what it means."

"What it means? What the hell does it mean?"

"That your Heartless." I threw my hands out in front of me, expecting a better explanation. "Well, the Heartless are just that, they're heartless. They're born of people who let darkness live in their hearts and when they give into it, their heart leaves and forms a Heartless. The body and soul is left behind and if there's any will in it, it becomes kind of a half human we call no bodies. So basically, if you accept darkness into your heart, you become a heartless usually."

"Usually?"

"You really need to ask Riku. He knows a lot more than me about Heartless and stuff," she said again. I nodded and went to the door. Kiari laughed, "Put a shirt on first!" I turned back around slowly, feeling my body heat up with embarrassment. She laughed harder at me. "Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to ask him. But you really need to put something on that doesn't crunch every time you walk." She pulled my hair up for me real quick and we dug through Kiari's closet as she filled me in on their past. I would stop the recollections from time to time to ask about the Heartless and Sora. Kiari complied to my questions, watching me try on her 'feeling fat' clothes. Giggling and joking, Kiari came to her conclusion of the first invasion. Her face lost its brightness as she retold the end. "Sora set the princesses free but the world to the Heartless was still open. Riku, because he had accepted the darkness and felt bad for things he had done, locked himself inside with King Mickey. I didn't see him again until a few weeks ago. And Sora wasn't on the island when our world was restored. He had other adventures to go on to free a witch who could restore the memories she had taken from him who was really my no body and I stayed here the whole time. I just stayed here, waiting on the beach they had left me on."

"So how long have you all been apart?"

Kiari whispered, "Almost two years." She looked around her room sadly. "But it's okay. I know they'll come back after this adventure, too. And after that, maybe it'll just be life again." I nodded to her, feeling really bad for her. Here she was, after two years of being separated from her two best friends, she's finally reunited for more than an hour or being half dead and now they were leaving her. I thought about last night and how I thought she was just bullshitting to get her way. Maybe her crap wasn't so fake after all. All though there were definitely fake tears here and there, Kiari wasn't just trying to get her way. She really missed these guys and wanted the picture perfect life they had when they were little.

"What's a No Body?" Kiari just smiled sadly to herself. "Ok..." I finished off the buttons of a new blouse, finally happy with the fit and pulled the hair clip from my hair. It dropped and fringed out around my shoulders. It took a minute to get over the shock. I grabbed the chopped ends and panicked. "No. No no no. Oh God no. Please no," I breathed. Kiari pointed me to her vanity mirror, biting her lip. Tears filled my eyes as I stared at my reflection. All I could manage was a squeaky "How?"

"You came in like that last night," Kiari whispered.

"But-but."

"I don't know anything that happened last night. I was kind of hoping one of you would fill me in." The vacant look in my eyes as I tried to remember said enough to Kiari that she didn't have to push it. "I could get you a pair of scissors and we can at least straighten it," she offered, keeping her head down. I touched the jagged lockes tearfully before nodding. She left. I kept staring at my messy reflection. I couldn't think of anything past my hair. It took me years to get that far. My father would beat me if I ever made it back simply because it was gone. Kiari returned and straightened it as much as she could for me. Though a little rough, it was good enough to go out and beat some one. That some one being Riku. I turned to leave. Kiari took my hand. "Where you off to?"

"To beat some one." She blinked at me as I buttoned up a black vest and grabbed my old clothes. I hit the kitchen and dropped them in the trash. Sora smirked at my new hair. I glared. "Riku's at the beach right?" He nodded, trying to hide his smile. "Hope he's ready for an ass kicking." Sora jumped to attention as I walked back out. He fumbled with his words. I ripped open the front door. The sadistic smile on my lips melted fast when my key blade nearly smacked me in the head. It stuck out of solid wood, the tip buried deep at eye level. I slowly turned to Sora, keeping my eyes on the door. "I know there's magic and all here and I guess I can accept that but this... this isn't normal is it?"

Sora shook his head. He studied it for a moment. "You know, this is the second time this has happened. Third, if you count it latching to your arm," he commented.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. When you were in Kiari's room, where was the key blade?" he asked.

"In my hand?"

He put a finger up. "Right. And when you disappeared last night and showed up at the cove, where was it?"

I smirked. "Heading for my chest."

He put another finger up. "And last night when Riku brought you back here, you didn't have it right?" I shrugged. "And now it's stuck in Kiari's door." A third finger went up and he wiggled them triumphantly.

"So what are you trying to say? That it's following me or something? It's just a key blade. Yours doesn't follow you. Kiari's doesn't follow her. Mine doesn't follow me," I said bluntly. I pushed Sora's hand down with a sigh. "Some one probably just shoved it into the door or something to threaten us or something." He rolled his eyes and helped me pry the thing from the door. I grimaced at the large gouge left behind. Sora looked around for other people before we cautiously walking away from it. I opened my mouth after a moment but again Sora beat me to it.

"Why did you leave last night? Didn't Kiari tell you to stay inside? You aren't ready to fight. You have no clue what we're up against."

I whispered, "I know."

"Then why did you leave?"

"I left because I wanted to help," I replied. "I mean...it was all my fault, wasn't it? I had to help. Even if there wasn't much I could do. I'm not just going to sit by and expect every one else to take care of my problems. Especially if it could hurt you." Sora stared at me. I looked back at him, feeling nervous. "What?"

"Huh? Oh- nothing. I just uh... Look! There's Riku!" He pointed to a lavender spot among the greenery of the little island. I stepped out onto the sand, gripping my key blade. Sora put his hand over mine. "You aren't really going to fight him are you? Did you see him yesterday? He can kill you."

I shrugged. "I'm still going to kick his ass." I walked on and left Sora shaking his head behind me. My dirty sneakers thumped against the thin bridge. Riku looked up when I got close. Neither of us changed our serious expressions. Neither of us spoke. My body was tensing with anger. I took a deep breath. Riku held out his hand. I blinked in confusion.  
"What?" He didn't look up at me. Just concentrated on the braided hair in his fist. It dangled, heavy against the light breeze. I took them from him, feeling terribly sad again.

He took his hand back slowly. I looked at the hair in my hands in the silence. Suddenly he asked, "How much do you remember about last night?"

I startled. "Um.. Not much I think. I ran out here cause all these little things were following me but something hit me from behind and I was back in that dark world." Things drifted into mind as I tried to remember. Little blurs of things and immense heat was all that really came though. I subconsciously lifted my hand to the heart on my chest. I looked at Riku and remembered him slowly. "I think...I think you were there. I don't know why you'd be in that world. You flickered between it. But I remember..you were here when I came back."

Riku smiled. I admit, it surprised me. "You were between worlds. I found you here. You were absorbing Heartless. The darkness tried to take you too. I got you out but I cut your hair accidentally." He bent down, catching a few escaped strands and handed them to me. "So.. I'm sorry." He finally looked up at me and I felt that I should have removed my glower but I just couldn't. "Still hate me?"

I sighed. "No...I only hate you for apologizing. I was gonna kick your ass..."

"Yeah, well...you look better with short hair any way."

"Hey! I didn't say I forgave you. Just that I'm not gonna kill you." I thought for a second. "Today." We shared an uncommon smile which really just made the whole situation stranger to me.

Riku took a deep breath before climbing up the bent tree of his youth. His too clear to be real eyes looked out at the too clear to be real water. I gagged at the perfect scene. "Riku?" I call quietly. When he didn't answer I decided to lean against the tree and continue looking at the perfectness of his world. After a few minutes he grunted. "Where's my other braid?"

He looked at the one in my hand and smirked. "I don't know. Maybe the darkness took it," he joked. My heard twinged in my chest. Emptiness overcame me and I didn't know what to think. That's when I knew. I had become...emo. "Are you ok?"

"Why did it try to take me?"

He shook his head. "It'll take any one who lets darkness into them. Doesn't make you special." I knew he was looking at me now but my emoness immobilized me. Wind blew my hair around and I look like the pope. "You aren't scared, are you?"

"No," I replied, looking up. "Are you?" Riku blinked. I'd like to think he was stunned by my keen senses but no one knows what goes on behind that crest fallen face of his. I sighed before placing a hand on his knee. His eyebrow twitched. "It's ok," I said, "I won't tell.

For a minute we stayed like that. I don't really know why. Maybe neither of us knew what to say or it was just awkward now. Maybe he was having some inward battle to tell me his life story. Who can say? After what seemed like eternity the strange silence was broken and we weren't alone. Sora's shouting for us further down the beach. I jump and rip my hand and eyes away like I'm guilty of something. As I turned and began to walk away, Riku called out, "You're a fool if you aren't scared, you know. Sooner or later, if the darkness doesn't take you, the people you trusted are gonna turn on you for what you are."

I stopped. One foot was on the bridge already but I felt my ears burn. I never asked for this. I never wanted it. Why does he get to throw it in my face for something I can't help or fix? "What am I?" I called back. "If I'm not you?" I could see Riku blinking at me. I don't really get what I said either. I just knew he was calling me out for being something he used to be too. Like an ex-drug addict scrutinizing some one who had something slipped into their grasp without even knowing. Slowly, his hand rubbed the yellow band around his wrist. Shaking his head, he mouthed "impossible" and followed me back to Sora.

_Definitely...a boring chapter. But maybe you needed a refresher and we all knoe Yuki did. Cause she don't knoe crap bout dese peoples...yo? Any way! Its not all this sloe and I'm about to pick up I just needed to explain so we wouldn't have dumb loop holes and inconsistency. Yay consistency! ok I'm gone. Review me again! It makes me so happy ska chan._


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own crap...like...not even poop....**

_Ok ok so it was a little sloe...you guys are all blood and guts ftw! And I'm like..doin' a dance and character developement! I'm sorry x.x But today! It's adventure! Adventure! Soy habla vagina. _

**Chapter Seven**

Sora waved us over to the end of the beach. He laughed at my scrunched face when I saw it. The gummi ship. The. Gummi ship. What kind of name is that for a ship? And what kind of ship is that for a space craft?! Good golly. I've lost it. The only reason I took it seriously at all is because of the massive amounts of steam rising off of it and the major jets in the back. Other than that...yellow and purple are offically gay. As I took in the um..awesome sight of the happy little air craft, Sora and Goofy loaded boxes Kiari was quickly labeling. Eventually she looked up at me and smiled. "Pretty cool, huh?" I stared. "Hehe, I guess your world doesn't have stuff like this."

"Oh no. We have things like this. They just aren't as flashy or retarded looking." Her smile melted into a half lidded glare. "Sorry," I muttered.

Shrugging, Kiari beckoned me closer. "Don't let the guys dig through these. I don't need them seeing my underwear," she giggled. "Thought you might like some clean clothes." I thanked her as she labeled a box dangerous and hazardous to male health. "Do you want to borrow a pair of sneakers too?"

I tried so hard to not say something mean. "Sorry but I think my feet are, uh, a little smaller than yours but thanks."

Kiari looks from her feet to mine and smiles. I swear. The girl never stops smiling. "I don't think you could borrow a pair from any one under ten," she laughed, looking at my, in this world any way, freakishly small feet. She handed me the box before hurrying me along to the ship. By the corner of my eye I see the reason. Her light hair found a sudden bounce and shine.

"You don't have to load all this up you know." Riku appeared at the door as I turned the corner.

"Yeah well, last time I was brain dead and you gave me no warning. So I'm making up for it!" I dropped my box in a hall way and started praying I wouldn't have to deal with her perks much longer. "Are you sure I can't come?" I held my breath. My prayers held their breath. I didn't even think about that. Why wouldn't she come? Her friends, her world. Universe. Whatever. I rub my temples. I need ritalin. Then we can be friends. Or prozac. Would that work? "I mean, I can protect myself and I can cook and help and who knows? Maybe even be the one to fix things for once!" she giggled.

Riku sighed, "Kairi..."

"I know. I do, I really do. You want me to be safe and we don't know what we're dealing with yet and it's all very hectic but please Riku?" I wanted to barf. So. Sappy. "Please let me come? Just this once Riku."

"Don't beg. Princesses don't beg," he joked. I started wondering if maybe I should make my presense known. I mean. I realized I needed to breathe. Got that. But this was getting a little beyond awkward for me. I started pacing the hall. They were making negotiations outside. I didn't want to eavesdrop but I wasn't sure where to go. The clunky frame of the gummi ship was intimidating but so was outside.

"You promise Riku?" Kairi's cheery voice broke through my paranoid thoughts like they're egg shells.

"I'm only promising to ifs and maybes, nothing more."

Kairi squealed out "deal". I gave up and walked out to see her throw her hand forward. Riku smiled and took a box instead. "Oh right," she said quietly, taking up her marker again.

Riku walked past, his face hard. I tried to smile. "Kinda looks like some one doens't want us to forget them, huh?" He ignored me. I followed him in. It wasn't far into the hall but I felt scarily closer. "Do you hate me?" Riku turned, his eyes narrow slits. I got the point. I just couldn't keep my mouth shut. "I'm stepping between you two aren't I? You hate me for taking you away."

He put his box down calmly. "What do you mean?"

I bit my lip and looked down. "Kairi told me about what happened. With you..and Sora. How you accepted the darkness and how Sora had to fight you because of it. Even though you were both trying to save her." I took a shaky breath. I wish I hadn't said anything. "And I know you haven't seen her in years, right? So I'm asking. Do you hate me for this?"

Riku sighed. In a quick movement he had my wrist and I was stuck stumbling my words and my feet as he dragged me through the big door. Staying close to it, he pointed to his friends. "Do you see that? Do you see them joking around? The playful looks? No matter what I did or how hard I tried to win, he beat me. I may have saved the worlds by my sacrifices but he saved her. Everything we did was for her and she's" his voice caught in his throat and he let out a leveled breath. "She's for him." He looks at me. His ocean eyes harder than stone. "Sora's my best friend and I want his happiness more than my own. He'll take care of her in a way I can't. She deserves better than me any way."

Where did that come from? That so didn't answer my question. I blinked. "But she really cares about you. Riku all you have to say is what's here." I cautiously put a finger to his chest. "She'll come running. Who says you can't take care of her just as well as Sora can?" I asked gently.

Riku closed his eyes, enclosing my hand on his chest and then putting it on mine. "You asked who you were if you weren't me. Do you feel that? That beat in your chest? That's why I can't take care of her. That's why you aren't me. You have a heart," he said bitterly. He looked at me as I pressed our hands harder to my chest. "People will hate you for bringing darkness, not being it."

My voice cracked as I whispered, "You're wrong." His eye brows came together. "I...I don't have a heart beat." Riku's eyes opened wide as the words slid from my mouth. A tear streaked down my cheek. "Is that what it means, Riku? Is that what it means to be Heartless? Am I gonna be cold and empty too?"

I tried to hold my sob. Felt my frame begin to crumble. He pulled me closer, holding my hand tight. "How long since this happened? When did you accept it?" He was demanding answers but I couldn't talk. I tried to breathe, my body shaking. "Yuki why did you let it in?"

"I didn't! I swear to God I didn't! I don't know what happened. I just- when I came back or woke up or whatever happened on that island- I just knew something was different."

My body jerked as I choked back tears. Riku shocked me. Holding me now, he kept my head to his chest. "It's okay," he tried to comfort. "Don't panic. You might disappear again."

I tried to laugh but I just couldn't hold my cries. "I'm not gonna turn into a little black thing am I? I mean, you're not so I won't either right? Right?" He shook his head against mine slowly. I shuddered in a breath. "That's really good to know..."

We just stayed there then. Standing in silence with my head pressed to his flat chest, the smell of shaving cream and ocean taking over my thoughts. I started calming down. I suppose that's what he was going for. Get me calm before little sparks went off again. But the longer we stayed like that the more I started to worry over some one walking in on us. I mean, how awkward would that be? Seriously. Riku's breath stopped for a minute and my body tensed. "When did you find out about me?" he whispered.

Sniffing, I said, "I didn't know you were Heartless. I just knew you were like me. Maybe it doesn't make sense but it's like I could feel it when we were on the island. You weren't the same." More awkward silence. So awkward. I pushed away gently and swiped my cheeks. "We should probably finish packing."

Riku nodded, patting my arm. "Don't worry Yuki. I won't let you stay like me."

I nodded back. Taking a few steps to the door, he found my hand on his arm. "Riku...were you serious? People will really hate me when they find out I'm- I'm Heartless?" The grim nod was all it took. My life is over. Stab me in the hear- um...eye. Yea. Stab me in the eye and lets just get it over with. "Sora and Kairi too?"

"Do they hate me?"

"No but you aren't exactly me."

"Then what am I?" he asked. "If not you?" He walked away. I stood there. Trying to get something out of my mouth. To not be out witted. I gave up when he was a good way down the beach and headed after him. Our friends had deserted the beach, big shoe tracks leading to the little island ahead. Riku was making his way there too. You could see Sora moving up the tree for him. Even when I got around to getting up the bridge, I wasn't really there. My mind is in my chest. My empty, quiet chest.

_I ended it a little shorter than i was suppose to but it's cool. a lot's been happening. congratulate me. i'm about 3 months pregnant now and wow. i've been through a year of hell. but obviously i'm back online and i'm very happy i still have readers haha. i can't wait to keep going but for now! i'm two hours late to paint scraping. hate my life. ska-chan!_


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own yadda yadda yadda**

_I love writing whoo!_

**Chapter Eight**

The world was rose tinted as my time on the islands came to an end. Donald had threatened and spit on us enough that we had to move from the bench like tree and start back toward the ship if we didn't want to drown. Tears were filling Kairi's eyes as we stood by the door. Her friends consoled her and held her in turn, reminding her they could always come back now and of happy times to look forward to. I bit my lip through the long process, feeling more and more estranged and awkward.

Before we ever stepped foot in the cargo door she burst into tears again. Sora and Riku rushed to her side to comfort her once again. She waved them off after a wet moment of glory and shooed us off to hurry back quickly. The setting sun, the glistening tears. You could go diabetic. I continued to stand there as she hugged the boys. As Sora ambled up the ramp, Kairi kissed Riku's cheek and whispered in his ear. I couldn't stop the smirk on my face from growing as Riku stepped inside. He totally ignores me every time.

"You ever been in space Yuki?" Sora called to me. The cargo bay vibrated as the door began to lift. I hurried to meet him. Sora continued to babble as we got to the bridge, setting coordinates and speeds. I didn't really pay attention. My eyes become glued to the thick windows as our power rangeresque aircraft begins hovering over Destiny Island. It becomes a new pinkish blob now mixed with flecks of green and big splashes of blue.

I couldn't help but whisper how amazing it is seeing a whole world become the size of a laundry basket. Sora laughed, sitting me down before my knees began to give. He pointed out significant constellations and large murky orbs around us that were other worlds soon to be visited. I don't think I ever closed my eyes, let alone blink. There was one world in particular that seems to be getting bigger. Sora nodded to it. "Hollow Bastion. Hopefully they'll have some news for us." I nodded slowly, my breath creeping back into me as I looked at the new world.

In a rushed manner, dazed and confused, people moved around me with mixed emotions. I was shuttled this way and that through the dark alleys and turns and halls and I never really caught any of it. I just found myself watching the ripples in a tea cup that had found its way into my hands. I sat at the round little table. The small dark room was crowded with equipment and people whose names escaped me. No one spoke a word to me. How did that happen? Time moves differently in this world maybe. Sora and a dark haired man whispered in a corner. They bickered quietly while every one else busied themselves. Stale air filled my lungs. I couldn't take any more. Escape was a required thing.

Fresh air. Such a precious commodity that you never think you need. It plays with my hair, tugging it towards the intimidating alleys. The more I looked at the little gray town, the more depressed I felt. I took it out on a little pebble by my shoe til I realized my fingers were tingling. I look at them. Wiggle them a little. The wind was picking up. I shook my hands out and sighed. "Hands fall asleep?" I jumped and blinked. One of the women from inside. Pushing her bangs back from red eyes, she smiled to me.

"Um yeah."

"That's such a pain. I'm Tifa, again," she smiled, offering a gloved hand. I took it, feeling my tingle become a zip. I looked at my hands awkwardly. I never did well around other people. My fingers were still twitching from the zap. I shook them before looking back over to the older woman. "It's turning into a real battle in there. That silver haired boy, Riku, he's really taking a stand for you." My ears perked. "Leon's not too happy about it. I don't think he likes him very much."

"Why? What did Riku ever do to him?" Tifa leaned against a wall before shaking her head. "That's not fair."

"Leon's a sensible person," she replied. Kicking away from the wall, she added, "You're pretty special you know. Two cute boys in there, fighting for your acceptance. You shouldn't look so sad. I mean hell. If I even had one guy fighting for me I'd be all smiles."

I rushed to say it wasn't like that. Tifa shrugged. "I just wish I could do something to help. I feel like such a nuisance to them. To every one."

"At least you can help with the recent outbreak. That's more than most. I'd never let Marlene or Denzel come here if they didn't know how to fight," she said. I blushed. Feel like such an idiot. I hate my life. And she knew it. "Well. Um... Oh. I could teach you a few tricks." I looked up in horror. "You ever punch some one?"

I thought about my shabby new hair cut. "In my head."

"That's... a start." She grinned. Tifa held up an open hand. "I want you to punch my hand. Don't worry. You can't possibly hurt me. Just punch." I got my ground and threw my fist. My eyes screw shut. I flinch. What. An. Idiot. How can I punch if I can't see! Needless to say I missed. Tifa tried not to laugh. "That was all wrong. Stand like this, don't just stand." She kept repositioning my hands and feet, making me punch as she did. She critiqued me and gave me different things to fail at and moved my feet all over the place so I wouldn't stumble every time I threw my fist.

I didn't notice at first, but the sun was really starting to move. We laughed together as I tried puny kicks on her. I kicked and she grabbed my foot, fast as lightning. I couldn't help but think Chuck Norris. She lifted my foot slowly until I winced. She ordered, "Two punches and a spin kick. Try that ok?" I nodded, a little scared. Her hands were waiting. I processed it over in my head. A nasty grin was spreading across Tifa's face as I went for it.

I'm happy to say I hit hard and true. My knuckles buzzed against her gloves and I went for the kick. I nearly fell on my ass. Sora held my foot at his chin, looking down my bare leg with eyes the size of plates. We stared at each other. His face turned red. Mine went white. Tifa just waved casually. "Where did you learn that?" he squeaked.

Tifa put her hand to her mouth as if telling a secret. "Let her down," she whispered loudly. Sora jumped and dropped my foot. I stumbled. My cool was gone. "So how'd it go in there?"

He shook his head. "He doens't want us here if we're bringing trouble."

"Did you tell him what happened on your world?" I asked.

"Not all of it. He thinks you have to do with it but that isn't his concern."

My eyes narrow. "Then what trouble does concern him?"

"Riku." He sighed the name. We echoed it in question. "He's got a lot of enemies. Leon doesn't want us here because it'll disrupt the peace and balance that's still being restored."

"But doesn't he know all the good he's done too?" I asked. The tips of my ears were getting hot.

"It doesn't matter. What he is is a lot heavier than the good he's done. Leon doesn't want him here."

"Because he's-"

"Yes."

"That's stupid! If that's how he feels about Riku than how does he expect to handle me? I'm just like him aren't I?" I bursted. They both stared at me in confusion. It kinda dawned on me then that maybe Riku hadn't let every one know about my heartless ways for a reason.

Sora was the first to speak. "Listen, Yuki, you and Riku are very different. You have...well...See he doesn't...Well maybe he does now...but before...um..." He glanced at Tifa for a second. She sighed. "You aren't him. Leon's right to think what he does." I was shocked. I thought they were friends! And here he was, agreeing with some punk. Crushed. If there was no hope for Riku who had helped save all these worlds or whatever, what could possibly be there for me? Sora put a somber hand on my shoulder. "It'll be okay. We still have to be here for a while and Leon's not going to press it I think."

"It's okay? So he's your best friend and some punk ass jerk says he sucks and it's okay? That's cool with you? I'm gonna kick his ass!" I yelled. I was already stomping off to the small stone building, leaving Sora and Tifa behind. Some one needed a bitch slap and I felt pretty confident a new trick up my sleeve would do just fine.

"I thought you didn't like him either!" Sora shouted. "He had too much ego or something!"

"Well I care now!" I yelled back. I waited as a few people walked out of the door. An older man held the door for me. I unclenched a fist long enough to wave thanks. Sora and Tifa stood outside like statues. Nothing sounded. They probably thought I'd lost my temper. He let out a breath. At the end of the relieved sigh, the crash came. They bolted for the door.

Leon and Riku stared at the glowing red charm on my wrist. Some of the stone work had melted. Smouldering embers from the broken table bounced and tumbled from Leon's chest. His utter shock and surprise made me feel damn good. I glared down at Mr. Emo Scars, letting my fist fall. "Don't be such a hard ass! Riku's here to help and the only trouble he brought is me." I kicked him before he stood. "You've got some damn nerve holding petty grudges over things that couldn't be helped."

Quick as it happened, it was done. I turned on my heel and walked out. Yuffi was laughing as Riku groaned my name. I kept walking until I found a suitable wall to hang my feet off of. He came after me a few minutes later. We just sat there. I watched the last rays of sunlight shimmer off my bracelet. He sighed. Shadow stretched along the streets. He opened his mouth but I stopped him. "I know what you're about to ask. I saw it in the sun along with many other sad things."

"What did you see?" he asked quietly.

"I didn't see anything. I was just bullshitting." I looked over with a little smile. "But that's sad in itself so I guess I wasn't bullshitting. But I do know what you're going to ask and I already have the answer."

"What's the answer?"

"That I can't take other people's crap any more."

"So you hit them?" I shrugged. Riku shook his head. He watched the darkening sky for a while as he thought. I rolled my eyes, starting to look around again. "That's a pretty lame excuse. You shouldn't just attack people for what they think. Especially not the people in that room. They're a lot stronger than you."

"Yeah well maybe they shouldn't be so quick to judge."

"I figured that was your reason," he sighed. He tucked his hair away. "I told you though, people will hate you if you're Heartless. It's something you have to accept. Otherwise you'll just get hurt more."

"How can you be okay with every one hating you just because you're different? How can you stand by while they curse you and not even know who you really are?" I whispered. My voice was getting shaky. My hand went to the cross on my neck instinctively. "It's not fair."

"Yuki, you're only going to make things harder if you think like that. It's not fair that they'll judge you and it's not fair that you've become Heartless involuntarily. But life isn't fair any way so let it go."

I threw my legs over the wall and dropped down. A feeling of determination was setting in on me as I looked back at Riku. "You can stand by if you want and let people rule your life but I won't. No one's allowed to decide what or who I am. I'll fight for what I am and I won't let people get me down and if I have to, I'll fight for you too."

He looked down at me. "Why?"

"Because we're the same. The only difference is that you let some ass holes put out your fire and me, I'm gonna burn this whole city down."

I started back to the house. "That doesn't even make sense!" he shouted. The wind picked up. I'm not really sure where back is but that's okay. I'll get there. A cold darkness covered just about everything as I walked. Shadows and noise seemed to disappear into it. The street lights flickered on. I started getting creeped out. I wish I hadn't left Riku back there. Even if he's kind of annoying.

I stop under a street lamp. My hands are falling asleep again. I try to shake it out. Wake them up. I guess that's Riku's foot steps I hear echoing down the street. I decided to wait. Even if I have to hear some blah blah from him it'd be better than getting lost in this creepville. Leaning against the light post, I close my eyes and wait. The foot steps have gone but the wind is back. When I open my eyes, a light down the street has gone out too. My jaw tightens. LA's not a great place but at least you know what to expect there. Here it's just stone and stone and shadow. And more stone. Maybe a door or something. On a good day.

As I wait another light goes out. I blink and there goes another. My body's clenching up. My fists are tight. I'm starting to think maybe it's not just an electrical problem. "C'mon Riku...c'mon. C'mon," I whispered to myself. I'm starting to hyper ventilate. This just isn't right. My hands are buzzing and pulsing. Gold flecks are obscuring my vision. I blinked disparately to make them go away. And then my light went out.

_it is so good to write again! my little boy [yes it was a boy if any one's interested] is getting bigger and requiring less attention. so hopefully that means i get back to the story. yippy! ska._


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